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 Children and Youth Services Review 120 (2021) 105781

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

Children and Youth Services Review

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth

Impacts of social distancing during COVID-19 pandemic on the daily life of

forestry students
Evangelia Karasmanaki *, Georgios Tsantopoulos
Democritus University of Thrace, Department of Forestry and Management of the Environment and Natural Resources, Pantazidou 193, 682 00 Orestiada, Greece

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Keywords: University life has changed profoundly due to social distancing measures to control the spread of COVID-19. Over
COVID-19 the longer term, the coronavirus crisis may affect the mental health of undergraduate students who are required
Effects of the pandemic on mental health to cope with remote options and forgo the usual campus life. The aim of this study is thus to investigate the
Impacts of public health emergencies
impacts of COVID-19 on undergraduate students’ mental health and daily life in order to assist policymakers
Mental health
Psychosocial effects of the pandemic
improve pandemic control plans and help educators and healthcare experts provide support to affected un­
Social science research dergraduates. Results are based on quantitative data collected via online questionnaires which were completed
by 181 Greek undergraduate forestry students. The analysis indicated that the students were highly affected by
the closure of universities and the transition to distance learning. Moreover, they experienced negative emotions,
mostly concern and anger, during the lockdown. T-test showed that female respondents experienced strong
negative emotions like fear, panic and despair to a higher degree than male students who were more optimistic
about the pandemic. Surprisingly, the students did not exercise outdoors every day even though it was allowed
during the 42-day quarantine. In addition, they used mostly television and scientific articles to obtain infor­
mation about COVID-19. The results presented in this study offer insights into university students’ experience
with the pandemic and reveal their reaction to remote education. It is recommended to monitor university
students’ mental health frequently and to provide them with psychological counselling and practical advice on
how to manage anxiety and fear. Finally, education and training on remote learning could help reduce students’
anxiety over online classes and exams.

1. Introduction COVID-19 a global pandemic.

In December 2019, an alarming number of pneumonia cases emerged
in Wuhan city in the Province of Hubei in China forcing the Chinese
government to declare a state of emergency. It was soon identified that
these cases were caused by the new coronavirus named Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which became
commonly known as COVID-19 (Tan et al., 2020). The most severe cases
can develop pneumonia, acute respiratory syndrome and kidney failure
(Ren et al., 2020). What makes COVID-19 particularly dangerous is that
the limited available therapeutic options and the severity of symptoms
can lead to patients’ death. Moreover, people infected with COVID-19
may not be showing any signs of infection but transmit it to others
(WHO, 2020). According to the World Health Organization (WHO),
asymptomatic patients could be causing even half of the spread (WHO,
2020) and, since the outbreak in December 2019, the virus has spread in
nearly every country in the world while, in March 2020, WHO declared
In spring 2020, many countries decided to implement drastic mea­
sures to contain the first outbreak of the pandemic. As this disease can be
transmitted both from symptomatic and asymptomatic cases, the most
widely adopted strategy to halt the spread has been to decrease social
interactions as much as possible. Authorities around the globe ordered
nation-wide lockdowns often referred to as “quarantines”, which impose
the separation and restriction of citizens to ensure that, if they become ill
or carry the virus, they will not transmit it to others. In addition, schools,
universities, churches, recreational spaces, retail stores and every place,
where people could gather, had to close until further notice.
While the treatment and transmission of COVID-19 has attracted
major research interest, the psychosocial impacts of the pandemic
should not be overlooked as there is already evidence showing that the
pandemic and the imposition of strict measures can compromise the
mental health of individuals. In specific, Loades et al. (2020) conducted
a systematic review and observed that social isolation and loneliness

* Corresponding author.
E-mail address: evagkara2@fmenr.duth.gr (E. Karasmanaki).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105781
Received 26 September 2020; Received in revised form 28 November 2020; Accepted 28 November 2020
Available online 7 December 2020
0190-7409/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
E. Karasmanaki and G. Tsantopoulos
during lockdowns can escalate the risk of developing depression and
anxiety disorders. On top of that, quarantined individuals experience
negative emotions like stress, irritability, fear, frustration, boredom,
confusion, anger but can also develop post-traumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and insomnia (Brooks et al., 2020; Hossain et al., 2020). Such
adverse psychological outcomes are exacerbated by certain factors with
the most important being the fear of infection, long periods of lockdown,
difficulty accessing medical care and medications, lack of necessary
supplies and stigma (Loades et al., 2020; Hawryluck et al., 2004; Rey­
nolds et al., 2008; Marjanovic et al., 2007). Another factor which has
been linked to poor mental health during COVID-19 pandemic is pro­
fessional and financial uncertainty due to the suspension of professional
activities with no prior planning (Brooks et al., 2020; Loades et al.,
2020). Moreover, previous studies have shown that insufficient infor­
mation from public health authorities about the quarantine and its
purpose can act as stressors for quarantined individuals (Braunack-
Mayer et al., 2013). Younger individuals including children, adolescents
and university students also experience stress during quarantines as they
are required to go through prolonged periods of physical isolation from
their classmates, friends, teachers and extended family (Loades et al.,
2020). However, younger people are more vulnerable to mental health
problems due to social distancing measures in comparison to adults
(Deighton et al., 2019) and there are already reports of adolescents
experiencing loneliness during COVID-19 lockdowns (Loades et al.,
2020) with the link between loneliness and poor mental health being
well-established (Wang et al., 2017). As far as university students are
concerned, Cao et al. (2020) discovered a positive and moderate cor­
relation between pronounced anxiety levels and students’ concerns
about academic delays and the impact of COVID-19 on their academic
performance. With isolation threatening mental health, the pandemic
has demonstrated the key role of the Internet in home confinement.
Indicatively, Papouli et al. (2020) found that the overwhelming majority
(by 98.55%) of Greek social work students spent greater periods of time
online in order to connect with their friends and loved ones, but also to
reconnect with old friends, classmates and people residing abroad or in
Greek other cities. Moreover, a significant share of students (by 47.82%)
used web technologies as recreation means to read e-books, watch
movies and listen to music. These online activities helped them broaden
their knowledge and deal with the unprecedented situation that hu­
manity was going through due to the pandemic.
As the new virus started to spread around the globe, Greek author­
ities had strong reasons to be concerned about a possible uncontrollable
outbreak of COVID-19. On the one hand, the ten-year economic crisis
left the national healthcare system diminished to the degree that
intensive care could be provided to a specific number of patients. On the
other hand, Greece has a high percentage of elderly people in its pop­
ulation and older individuals are at greater risk for severe illness from
COVID-19 (United Nations, 2019). From this perspective, Greece was
considered most vulnerable to the risk of an uncontrollable virus
outbreak during the first pandemic wave which would wreak havoc on
its already ailing healthcare system.
Knowing that the odds were against them, the Greek authorities
enforced stringent social distancing measures very early. On February
27, only a day after the first COVID-19 case was confirmed, the gov­
ernment announced the official cancellation of all carnival celebrations
and, on March 11, the government banned the operation of schools since
the closure of educational institutions has been shown to be a highly
effective measure to stop the spread (Jackson et al., 2014). Shortly after,
the country restricted nonessential travelling and closed cafes, restau­
rants, retail stores, libraries, museums, cinemas and parks among other
2
Children and Youth Services Review 120 (2021) 105781
places. In addition, the circulation of citizens was restricted, and, during
the 42 days of lockdown, citizens were allowed to leave their house only
in order to go to their work, shop for groceries or pharmaceuticals, visit a
doctor, take brief exercise outdoors and walk their pet. In order to
perform these necessary activities, citizens had to obtain a ‘circulation
permission’ (Fouda et al., 2020; Papouli et al., 2020). That is, they had to
complete a form or send a text message to ‘13033′ stating one of the
allowed reasons to leave the house and were required to carry their
identity card or passport with them. The violation of the circulation
rules would risk a fine of 150 euros. The strict measures to halt the
spread of coronavirus in Greece during the first pandemic wave were
very effective. In specific, the rate of confirmed cases fell to less than ten
per day towards the end of the lockdown.
Against this background, Greek university students had to adjust to a
new and different life from the one they were used to. Under normal
circumstances, university life involves considerable social interaction.
Thousands of students move from one region to another to go to uni­
versity and, there, they can pursue their studies while enjoying new
activities in the company of their classmates with whom they build
bonds, possibly for life. Undergraduates participate in many social ac­
tivities, such as meeting friends for coffee, going out for lunch and going
for walks, but also take part in activities which “cultivate the mind” such
as attending theatres, cinemas, music concerts and cultural events. In
addition, many students enroll in sport activities offered by their uni­
versities making good use of their free time and enjoying a better quality
of life.
However, in Greece university life stopped in March 2020 as students
had to return to their hometowns without knowing when the university
would open again and, at the same time, they had to adjust to online
learning without any prior training or preparation. With universities
having closed and their usual daily life having been disrupted, un­
dergraduates were required to continue their studies at university which
was now experiencing a digital transformation. The problem that arises
is that it remains unknown how the extended lockdown and the
requirement to attend courses and exams online has affected the mental
health and daily life of undergraduate students. Hence, the aim of the
present study is to investigate whether the imposition of measures
protecting physical health has affected the mental health of under­
graduate students majoring in the Department of Forestry and Man­
agement of the Environment and Natural Resources, in Greece. This is an
area that requires special attention for two reasons. First, if a discernible
impact is detected, mental healthcare should be provided to students in
order to restore their wellbeing so that they can advance in their studies.
Second, insights into the impact of nation-wide quarantines may have
important lessons for policymakers who are involved and engaged in the
design of pandemic control plans. That is, knowledge about students’
experience with the pandemic can point to the measures that need to be
improved and the areas that need to be addressed in order to ensure that
the imposition of measures during pandemics does not compromise their
mental health.
2. Materials and methods
The results presented in this paper are part of a wider research
examining the views on the effects of environmental degradation on
infectious disease emergence among undergraduate students at the
Faculty of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences of the Democritus Uni­
versity of Thrace which is located in Orestiada in Northern Greece. The
Faculty encompasses two departments: The Department of Forestry and
Management of the Environment and Natural Resources as well as the
E. Karasmanaki and G. Tsantopoulos Children and Youth Services Review 120 (2021) 105781

Department of Agricultural Development. In accordance with the were considered satisfactory. To be more precise, the sample size in this
existing legislation, every research carried out within the university study is almost the same as the sample size in similar in-person surveys
must first be approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Hence, the conducted with students of the department in the last years (Papatha­
Research Ethics Committee of the Democritus University of Thrace naki, 2018; Karasmanaki and Tsantopoulos, 2019; Pappa, 2020). Ac­
examined and approved the content of the questionnaire and the cording to the Quality Assurance Unit, which is the advisory body for the
methodology to perform the study (Decision 50694/405, 01–06-2020 administration of the Democritus University of Thrace, at the time of the
Decision of the 9th/29–05-2020 board meeting of the Research Ethics study, 457 students were enrolled in the department and were attending
Committee). one of the five years of study, which is the regular duration of study, and
The questionnaire, which was the main research instrument, con­ another 352 students were enrolled in the department but exceeded the
sisted of 16 closed-ended items. The closed-ended type was considered regular five years. In other words, the overall number of enrolled stu­
appropriate because it requires from respondents little effort and time. dents was 809 and in this study 183 students participated, which cor­
As for the content of the questionnaire, it included five sections. The first responds to 22.6% of total enrolled students. This figure shows a
section gathered information on respondents’ sociodemographic char­ satisfactory analogy between population and sample.
acteristics and the second examined their views on environmental To analyze the collected data, descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s
topics. The third section collected information about respondents’ alpha, the non-parametric Friedman test, Factor analysis and Indepen­
environmental attitudes and the fourth section examined their views on dent Samples Test were performed.
various topics related to COVID-19 while the fifth section investigated Cronbach alpha is performed to examine the internal reliability of
what sources they use to obtain information on COVID-19. the questionnaire; that is, it detects whether the data have the tendency
An introductory note on the top of the first page of the questionnaire to measure the same event and expresses the correlation square between
provided respondents with important information. In the note, it was the scoring (observed) assigned to a certain individual in the scale and
stated that the survey was conducted by the Democritus University of the scoring it would have been assigned (actual) if the individual was
Thrace and, in specific, by the Department of Forestry and Management asked about all topics (Siardos, 1998). In our analysis, the non-
of the Environment and Natural Resources. The note also included in­ parametric Friedman test was also used. The non-parametric Friedman
formation about the aim of the study as well as the name and contact test compares the values of three or more correlated groups of variables.
number of the professor who is responsible for the study. It concluded by The distribution of the Friedman test is χ2 distribution with degrees of
guaranteeing anonymity and confidentiality to the participants and freedom (df) df = k-1, where k is the number of teams or samples. This
stating that participation is voluntary. test classifies the values of variables for every subject separately and
The sampling method was the multistage sampling. The year of study calculates the mean rank of classification values for each variable
served as the first stage and courses as the second stage. Hence, the (Freund and Wilson, 2003, Ho, 2006). Factor analysis is a statistical
students attending each course were recorded and for each year of study method that aims to examine the existence of common factors within a
two courses were drawn. Namely, students attending two courses in group of variables (Sharma, 1996). More specifically, principal
each year of study would participate in the study. component analysis was used here, which is based on the spectral
The collection of the questionnaires would be conducted in two analysis of the variance (correlation) matrix (Siardos, 1999; Jolliffe,
ways. According to the first, the questionnaires would be completed 2002). The criterion used for the significance of the principal compo­
during classroom time as long as the professor of each course would nents was the one recommended by Guttman and Kaiser (Cattell, 1978),
consent. The students who would agree to participate would be
informed orally that their participation is entirely voluntary and that
Table 1
they have the option not to participate. The anonymity of the re­
Respondents’ demographic characteristics.
spondents would be ensured as the respondents would insert the
completed questionnaire into a sealed envelope and then place it into a Variable Category Frequency Percentage
secured box. According to the second way of questionnaire collection, Students’ gender Male 71 39.2
the survey would be administered to students using the online survey Female 110 60.8
Year of study 1 35 19.3
portal, Google forms®. The online link to the survey would be available
2 24 13.3
on the university’s online learning platform (https://eclass.duth.gr) and 3 31 17.1
the respondents would be able to read the information about the survey 4 29 16.0
and participation in the Title and Description boxes before the first 5 27 14.9
section of the questions. At the bottom of this note there would be the Higher than 5 35 19.3
Father’s occupation Employed in the public 44 24.3
question “Do you agree to participate in the survey?” and, if they wished
sector
to participate, they would proceed with the completion of the ques­ Employed in the private 31 17.1
tionnaire and otherwise they would leave the page. sector
In alignment with the measures to control the spread of COVID-19, Freelancer 44 24.3
the Rector and vice Rectors of the Democritus University of Thrace Farmer 20 11.0
Unemployed 9 5.0
decided to suspend in-person teaching and to conduct all classes online. Pensioner 33 18.2
Hence, the researchers decided to carry out the present study using the Mother’s occupation Employed in the public 53 29.3
online survey portal, Google forms® and not to contact the survey in- sector
person. For the Department of Forestry and Management of the Envi­ Employed in the private 36 19.9
sector
ronment and Natural Resources the study started on 1 June 2020 and
Freelancer 15 8.3
ended on 5 July 2020. In order to ensure the protection of respondents’ Household 40 22.1
personal information, the database was stored on a computer which has Farmer 11 6.1
no access to the Internet and is located in the Laboratory of Forest and Unemployed 12 6.6
Environmental Policy, Education and Communication. Pensioner 14 7.7
Educational level of Compulsory education 46 25.4
In total, 183 on-line questionnaires were submitted but two of them father Secondary education 72 39.8
were incomplete as these students did not consent to proceed with the Higher education 63 34.8
completion of the questionnaire. The total number of usable completed Educational level of Compulsory education 25 13.8
questionnaires was 181. The number of completed questionnaires along mother Secondary education 75 41.4
Higher education 81 44.8
with respondents’ distribution of respondents by their year of study

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E. Karasmanaki and G. Tsantopoulos Children and Youth Services Review 120 (2021) 105781

Table 2 Table 5
Frequency and percentages regarding the occurrence of coronavirus case in The rotated factor loadings for students’ emotions about the pandemic.
students’ family. Component
Frequency Percentage (%)
1 2 3
Yes 3 1.7
Panic 0.884 − 0.057 0.042
No 178 98.3
Fear 0.807 − 0.279 − 0.155
Total 181 100.0
Despair 0.792 0.215 − 0.012
Anxiety 0.727 − 0.107 − 0.359
Loneliness 0.675 0.168 0.016
Anger 0.133 0.873 − 0.110
Table 3 Indifference − 0.254 0.511 0.417
Frequency and percentages regarding students’ responses on whether a member Optimism 0.091 0.024 0.829
of their family belonged to high-risk groups. Concern 0.431 0.310 ¡0.473

Frequency Percentage (%)

Yes 134 74.0

No 47 26.0 Table 6
Total 181 100.0 T-test results comparing students’ gender and their emotions about the
pandemic (m. v.: mean value, s. d.: standard deviation, t: t-test, df: degrees of
freedom).

Table 4 Emotions Gender n m. v. s.d. t df p

The application of the Friedman test for ranking Fear Male 71 2.521 1.2172 − 2.507 179 0.013
respondents’ feelings about the pandemic. Female 110 2.973 1.1610
Optimism Male 71 2.563 1.3281 1.878 179 0.042
Variables Mean ranks
Female 110 2.200 1.2326
Fear 5.48 Anxiety Male 71 2.479 1.2172 − 4.158 179 0.000
Optimism 4.35 Female 110 3.273 1.2772
Anxiety 5.79 Anger Male 71 3.225 1.3856 − 1.366 179 0.174
Anger 6.33 Female 110 3.491 1.2020
Indifference 4.09 Indifference Male 71 2.296 1.4081 0.251 179 0.802
Concern 7.08 Female 110 2.245 1.2575
Loneliness 4.79 Concern Male 71 3.507 1.1448 − 1.914 179 0.057
Panic 3.54 Female 110 3.818 1.0153
Despair 3.54 Loneliness Male 71 2.423 1.3273 − 0.959 179 0.339
Female 110 2.618 1.3477
N = 181 Chi-Square = 369.051 df = 8p < 0.001 Panic Male 71 1.718 1.1236 − 2.365 179 0.019
Female 110 2.136 1.1846
Despair Male 71 1.662 1.0947 − 2.948 179 0.004
according to which, the limit for obtaining the required number of
Female 110 2.182 1.1977
principal components is defined by the eigenvalues which are equal to or
greater than one. We concluded with a matrix rotation of the principal
components using Kaiser’s varimax rotation method (Harman, 1976) for 3.2. The pandemic in students’ family
better results.
Students were asked if any member of their family had been infected
3. Results with COVID-19 and whether any family member belonged to high risk
groups. As it can be seen in Table 2, only 1,7% of students reported that a
3.1. Demographic characteristics of respondents member of their family had contracted COVID-19 but the majority (by
74%) stated that at least one member of their family belonged to a high
The demographic characteristics of respondents are presented in this risk group (Table 3).
section. According to Table 1, 39.2% of respondents were male and
60.8% were female and, consequently, female students outnumbered
the male ones. Additionally, respondents’ year of study presents some 3.3. Students’ emotions about the pandemic
differentiation ranging from 14% to 19%. Information on students’
family background including parents’ occupation and education level While strict social distancing measures were necessary to contain the
was also gathered. As Table 1 shows, substantial shares of students’ spread of the coronavirus pandemic, they may have impacted students’
fathers were employed in the public sector (24.3%) and were freelancers mental health. Students were thus asked to report their emotions and
(24.3%). Remarkably, only 2% of the fathers were unemployed. As for their responses were ranked using the non-parametric Friedman test
students’ mothers, considerable shares were employed in the public and (Table 4). Interestingly, respondents were mostly concerned (mean rank
private sector (29.3% and 19.9%, respectively), whereas an appreciable 7.08) and angry (mean rank 6.33), whereas “Panic” and “Despair” ob­
share did not work and was involved with the household duties (22.1%). tained the lowest rankings (both received a mean rank of 3.54) ((N =
Finally, significant shares of fathers (by 34.8%) and mothers (by 44.8%) 181 Chi-Square = 369.051 df = 8p < 0.001).
were university graduates. To gain further insights into the emotions that the pandemic stirred
within students, factor analysis was performed in order to discover if
there were common factors which act as axes which shape respondents’
views. The investigation indicated that all nine variables were highly
correlated and no variable was excluded from further analysis. Before

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E. Karasmanaki and G. Tsantopoulos Children and Youth Services Review 120 (2021) 105781

Table 7 applied to contain the spread of the pandemic on their daily life. Re­
The application of the Friedman test for ranking students’ responses regarding sponses were ranked with the non-parametric Friedman test and, as it
the impact of measures on their daily life. can be seen in Table 7, the closure of universities (mean rank 8.10),
Variables Mean ranks online exams (mean rank 7.73), online classes (mean rank 7.43) and the
Suspension of administrative services to the public 5.74
restriction of social gatherings (mean rank 7.38) were the measures that
Closure of all educational institutions 8.10 had the greatest impact on respondents’ daily life. Conversely, the re­
Distance teaching 7.43 striction on the use of the car (mean rank 4.64), the closure of hotels
Distance semester exams 7.73 (mean rank 4.91) and the suspension of administrative services to the
Closure of shopping centers and retail stores 6.01
public (mean rank 5.74) did not affect students significantly.
Closure of cafés/dining places (including bars, taverns, etc) 7.58
Suspension of sport events 6.43 The impact of the measures on respondents’ daily life was then
Closure of gyms 6.27 analyzed using factor analysis with Varimax rotation. The analysis
Closure of hotels 4.91 showed that for the multivariate “Measures to contain COVID-19”,
Restriction on social gatherings 7.38 Cronbach’s alpha value was 0.882, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of
Restriction on the use of the car 4.64
Restrictions on domestic and international travelling 5.77
sampling adequacy was at an acceptable level of 0.846, and Bartlett’s
test of sphericity gave Chi-square = 1119.237, df = 66, p < 0.001.
N = 181 Chi-Square = 270.647 df = 11p < 0.001 Moreover, three factors were loaded accounting for 68.1% of total
variance (Table 8). The variables ‘Restriction on the use of the car’,
‘Restrictions on domestic and international travelling’, ‘Closure of
shopping centers and retail stores’, ‘Closure of hotels’ and ‘Suspension of
Table 8 administrative services to the public’ fell under the first factor which can
Rotated component matrix for the effect of measures to contain the spread of be named “Measures affecting movement and shopping habits”. As for
COVID-19 pandemic on respondents’ daily life. the second factor, this includes the variables ‘Suspension of sport
Component events’, ‘Closure of gyms’, ‘Restriction on social gatherings’ and ‘Closure
1 2 3 of café/dining places (including bars, taverns, etc)’. To reflect the con­
tent of these variables, the second factor can be named “Measures
Restriction on the use of the car 0.855 0.012 0.026
Restrictions on domestic and international travelling 0.705 0.261 0.153 affecting exercise and entertainment”. Finally, the third factor includes
Closure of shopping centers and retail stores 0.644 0.495 0.166 the variables ‘Distance semester exams’, ‘Distance teaching’ and
Closure of hotels 0.598 0.557 0.049 ‘Closure of all educational institutions’ and can thus be named “Mea­
Suspension of administrative services to the public 0.596 0.268 0.198 sures affecting university”. Interestingly, ‘Distance semester exams’ and
Suspension of sport events 0.152 0.857 0.095
Closure of gyms 0.220 0.850 − 0.001
‘Distance teaching’ had the highest loadings.
Restriction on social gatherings 0.370 0.524 0.304
Closure of café/dining places (including bars, 0.502 0.521 0.318
taverns, etc)
3.5. Physical activity during lockdown
Distance semester exams 0.135 − 0.043 0.921
Distance teaching 0.123 0.060 0.900
Closure of all educational institutions 0.128 0.360 0.718 Daily physical activity can activate metabolism, benefit heart and
bone health, as well as boost the immune and respiratory systems.
During the 42-day lockdown citizens were allowed to exercise outdoors
for an hour every day, either individually or with one more person. In
applying the analysis, the Bartlett’s test of sphericity (Chi-square =
the latter case, they had to keep the necessary distance of 1.5 m between
558.997, df = 36, p < 0.001), the Cronbach’s alpha value (0.650) and
them. Citizens who wished to exercise had to carry their identity card or
the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index (0.749) verified the suitability of the data
passport and a completed movement certificate (printed or handwritten)
for factor analysis. Factor analysis loaded three factors after Varimax
or a confirmation SMS stating the reason for being outside the house.
rotation accounting for 65.1% of total variance (Table 5). According to
Our results revealed that the students did not avail themselves of the
the factor loadings, negative emotions about the pandemic, ‘Panic’,
option of daily exercise. In particular, as Table 9 shows only 14.9% of
‘Fear’, ‘Anger’, ‘Despair’, ‘Anxiety’ and ‘Loneliness’, loaded on the first
respondents exercised every day whereas 44.7% of respondents exer­
factor which can be named “Negative emotions”. The variables ‘Anger’
cised only up to two times a week.
and ‘Indifference’ fell under the second factor and this factor can be
named “Accumulated negative emotions”. Finally, ‘Optimism’, and “No
concern’ (it is named “No concern” because the negative sign of the Table 9
loading indicates the opposite direction of the variable) loaded on the Frequency and percentages regarding the frequency with which the students
took permission to exercise during lockdown.
third factor. The third factor can be named “Positive emotions”.
To make a comparison between male and female students in terms of Frequency Percentage (%)
their emotions about the pandemic, t-test was performed. The analysis 0 times a week 18 9.9
indicated that female students experienced concern, fear, panic and 1–2 times a week 63 34.8
despair to a higher degree than their male peers. On the other hand, 3–4 times a week 44 24.3
5–6 times a week 29 16.0
male students were more optimistic than their female counterparts
Over 7 times a week 27 14.9
(Table 6). Total 181 100.0

3.4. Measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic

Students were asked to evaluate the effect of various measures

5
E. Karasmanaki and G. Tsantopoulos
Table 10
Frequency and percentages relating to the information sources the students used
for COVID-19.
Frequency Percentage (%)
Television 51 28.2
Scientific articles 48 26.5
Social media 43 23.8
General websites 13 7.2
Websites of newspapers 11 6.1
Medical staff, medical media, etc. 3 1.7
I did not wish to receive any information 12 6.6
Total 181 100.0
3.6. Information sources about the pandemic
The Greek media covered the pandemic with an emphasis on the
international dimension and gave floor to epidemiology experts and to
representatives of authorities managing the health crisis. Overall, it
could be said that the Greek media maintained a responsible position
and kept conspiracy theories and polarized approaches off their agenda.
In addition, they avoided focusing on statements of political parties. In
this study, students were asked what information sources they used in
obtain information on COVID-19. As it can be seen in Table 10, a
considerable share of students (by 28.2%) used television and another
substantial share (by 26.5%) used scientific articles. The percentage of
respondents who used social media (by 23,8%) was also appreciable.
Finally, as few as 6.6% students did not wish to obtain any information
about COVID-19 (Table 10).
4. Discussion
The most interesting result to emerge from the present study was that
the pandemic and the enforcement of stringent social distance measures
stirred negative emotions within the undergraduate students who
experienced mostly concern and anger during the 42-day lockdown in
spring 2020. This finding is consistent with studies indicating that
COVID-19 and the uncertainty that suddenly surrounded human life and
particularly the areas of health, jobs and economy had negative effects
on people’s mental health (Loades et al., 2020; Brooks et al., 2020;
Hossain et al., 2020). Respondents’ negative emotions were expected
because the pandemic has disrupted profoundly their usual life. That is,
before the pandemic, the students were leading exciting lives and were
pursuing their academic goals while enjoying a life full of social in­
teractions. Hence, the closure of universities, the requirement to attend
all courses online and the conduct of online semester examinations for
the first time seem to have caused considerable concern and anger to
students.
Interestingly, female students experienced fear, panic, concern and
despair to a greater degree than their male counterparts who were more
optimistic about the pandemic. This finding is intriguing but cannot be
explained by this study. Therefore, a future qualitative study with fe­
male students could explain why the pandemic and the imposition of
strict social measures including the closure of universities induces
negative feelings like fear and anxiety more to female than male
undergraduates.
Among all measures applied to contain the spread of COVID-19, the
closure of universities and the subsequent requirement to attend online
classes and exams were those that had the greatest impact on students’
life. Again, changes in university life, rather than changes in transport,
circulation, shopping and recreation, seem to be those that mostly
affected students. Moreover, restrictions on transport and travelling had
only a minor effect on undergraduates probably because they live on a
tight budget and they could not afford having a car and travelling
anyway.
Another finding that is worthwhile to discuss is that many students
did not exercise daily during the lockdown even though Greek citizens
6
Children and Youth Services Review 120 (2021) 105781
could be given permission for one-hour outdoor exercise every day. This
was surprising because our respondents are very young people who are
not used to spending the whole day at home and thus were expected to
make use of the option to exercise daily in order to spend some time
outdoors. This could perhaps be ascribed to students’ busy schedule and
particularly to their duty to attend online classes and accomplish all
tasks digitally. Undoubtedly, this was time-consuming, especially in the
beginning of this ‘digital’ period in which students had to deal with is­
sues like delays in scheduled classes, slow Internet connection as well as
students’ and professors’ poor familiarization with e-learning platforms.
Regardless of the reason why they did not commit to daily exercise,
limited exercise during lockdowns is a matter of great concern because
regular physical activity and exercise have been acknowledged as sig­
nificant tools to prevent adverse mental and physical consequences of
COVID-19 pandemic (Jiménez-Pavón et al., 2020).
Finally, it was somewhat disappointing that a significant percentage
of students resorted to television and social media to obtain information
about a severe issue such as the global pandemic. In this Department,
students are taught in the beginning of the first academic year how to
use multidisciplinary databases with citations and abstracts from peer-
reviewed journal literature, books and conference publications while
they are also taught the importance of choosing reliable sources. In this
regard, the respondents were expected to prefer scientific evidence
provided by scholars and experts over the information provided by
mainstream media. Hence, this finding raises serious implications for
educators while it calls for in-depth investigation. In specific, a future
study should examine what type of pages the students “follow” on social
media and whether these pages are based on reliable sources such as
medical boards or government agencies.
5. Conclusions
Based on the findings presented in this paper and the discussion that
followed, it may be inferred that the necessary closure of universities
and the requirement to adapt to and cope with distance learning had the
strongest impact on undergraduate students who experienced mostly
anger and concern during the period of the lockdown. While most stu­
dents’ emotional wellbeing was affected, female students experienced
negative emotions to a greater degree than their male peers who were
more optimistic about the pandemic.
In order to protect undergraduate students’ emotional wellbeing and
ensure progress in their studies despite university closures and other
restrictions during health crises, certain recommendations can be made
to educators and bodies involved in higher education and student
healthcare. Most importantly, mental healthcare services should be
established at every university and these services should be reinforced in
challenging times such as this one. To help students cope with the dif­
ficulties of health crises, experts could provide undergraduates with
preventative support and counseling while monitoring their anxiety and
depression levels. As young people are more vulnerable to mental health
problems due to social distancing measures, students should be advised
how to manage negative emotions during lockdowns.
In this study, the impact of the pandemic on students’ life was linked
to the sudden quarantine state which led to the disruption of campus
life. Online learning became the new normal overnight causing
considerable concern to our respondents. To avoid similar reactions in
the future and to ensure academic progress during health crises, digital
skills and training on using e-learning platforms should become an in­
tegral part of undergraduate curricula. Instructors, who are mostly
experienced in on-site education, should be trained in remote teaching
and learning, and get acquainted with strategies and methodologies. In
addition, it is critical to ensure that all students are able to participate in
distance learning as, if students’ households lack access to the Internet,
students could experience the scarring event of being excluded from
educational activities. To ensure the inclusion of all students, cheaper or
free Internet access to disadvantaged households should be offered and,
E. Karasmanaki and G. Tsantopoulos
at the same time, universities could allocate funds to ensure that all
students have access to computers and digital infrastructure.
Our study revealed that undergraduate students did not exercise
daily during the lockdown even though they could avail daily outdoor
exercise. Exercise during extended periods of quarantines can prevent
negative effects on mental and physical health and thus educators and
healthcare experts should inform students about these benefits and
encourage them to build regular exercise regimes.
This study, however, has certain limitations which ought to be
mentioned. Most importantly, the findings of the study represent only
Greek undergraduate students who are studying away from home and
live in little cities. The findings thus cannot be generalized and do not
represent other groups of undergraduate students. Another limitation is
that the study examines the effects of the lockdown on students’ mental
health during the first pandemic wave in Greece which occurred in
spring 2020.
To conclude, the pandemic has put higher education under pressure
and universities are required to prove their worth while making the life
of young people less precarious and education more resilient. Therefore,
the pandemic should be regarded as a valuable opportunity to face is­
sues, such as mental healthcare, inclusivity and on-line teaching which
have been inhibiting the evolution of education for decades.
CRediT authorship contribution statement
Evangelia Karasmanaki: Conceptualization, Writing - original
draft, Writing - review & editing. Georgios Tsantopoulos: Conceptu­
alization, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation,
Validation, Supervision.
Declaration of Competing Interest
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
the work reported in this paper.
Acknowledgement
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding
agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
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